Cool Ford Trucks

A bit late to this one but I drive a 2014 F150 S. Crew short wheel base FX4 in sterling grey colour.
3.5 ecoboost equipped with 6 speed tranny and factory trailer brake controller.
Since 2012, reliability between 5.0 and 3.5 was pretty even.
In 2011, first year of 3.5, the turbos ran a little cool and had coughing issues in heavy rain, extremely high moisture environment.
This was promptly addressed by raising operating temp slightly and never had that issue again.
I say reliability was equal because since 2018 and the release of 3rd gen 5.0, the trend is now that the 3.5 ecoboost is proving more reliable than the 5.0.
The 5.0 has known oil consumption issues.
We see more come backs with 5.0 than ecoboost since 2018.
3.5 ecoboost seems to be more reliable than 2.7 ecoboost.
A few oil consumption issues with the 2.7 through the turbos.
The 3.5 was designed specifically from the start to be a truck engine with standard forged bottom end.
If you manage the heat in the turbos of the 3.5 like a diesel piece of equipment of farm tractor, that is to say you let them idle a few minutes after hard work in hot environment prior to shut down, the 3.5 is virtually bullet proof.
Idling cools the turbos by flowing cooling engine oil through hem so they don’t roast from being shut down while red hot.
You might use the sound of pinging from the heat as an audible cue.
Truck and construction equipment operators, as well as farmers, are familiar with the pinging and ticking sounds a well heated engine makes when shut down too quickly after hard work in hot environment. The pinging sound is from the metal cooling rapidly.
That’s why construction equipment and trucks are left to idle a bit before shut down.
If your 3.5 ecoboost is that hot, that’s a good time to let it idle a few minutes before shutting down.
And this won’t be the case from getting groceries with air conditionner on.
It will be from towing a decent trailer up a long hill in July heat with a/c full on and pulling into driveway and shutting down right away.
In the same scenario, if you need to get lined up to back the trailer in a storage space and say, you leave the truck idle while you unhitch the trailer, by the time you have done that the danger has passed and no extra idle time is required.

And like Roger pointed out, the towing capacity of the 3.5 is way above the 5.0 thanks to its plentiful torque curve as low as 1800 rpm.
The 5.0 simply can’t match that. It needs to get closer to 4000 rpm to just nibble at the torque numbers of the 3.5.
Coyote is a great Mustang engine.
3.5 ecoboost a better truck engine, IMHO.
 
One of the best things I have done on my 2013 S-crew was at 80,000 when the rear shocks started getting weak was to replace them with rear coil over shocks. At $200 for a pair and a simple DIY they really help keep the rear level under bed loads and towing. Less sway and headlights keep a lower focused beam at night. It raised the back about an inch sitting empty so no real change there.
 
Some more Coyote info I found later this evening
Edit note - only good up to gen 2 , gen 3 differences - see Marks info below!

PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES
In terms of performance, the Mustang’s Coyote has more horsepower and the F-150’s Coyote has more low-end torque, hitting its peak torque at around 3,850 RPM instead of 4,250 RPM like the Mustang. Ford knew that this engine was going into a pickup truck and that it would be made to tow things, to go off-road, and in general, perform all of the duties people expect their trucks to be capable of.

Earlier F-150 and Mustang Coyotes also had a lower compression ratio, but that’s been changed for the third generation of both, which started in 2018. Now, you’ll get a 12.0:1 compression ratio in either Coyote, which means better fuel economy. The higher the compression ratio, the more power you’ll be able to achieve with less fuel.



COYOTE ENGINE COMPARISON
EngineHorsepowerTorqueCompression Ratio
F-150 First Gen Coyote385 hp @ 5,750 RPM387 lb-ft @ 3,850 RPM10.5:1
Current Gen F-150 Coyote395 hp @ 5,750 RPM400 lb-ft @ 3,850 RPM12.0:1
First Generation Mustang Coyote412 hp @ 6,500 RPM390 lb-ft @ 4,250 RPM11.0:1
Current Gen Mustang Coyote435 hp @ 6,500 RPM400 lb-ft @ 4,250 RPM12.0:1
MECHANICAL DIFFERENCES
Since there’s a performance difference between the F-150 and Mustang Coyotes, it’s safe to assume that there are several mechanical differences between the two that cause them to have different strengths and weaknesses.

The F-150 Coyote has a cast iron exhaust manifold in contrast to the Mustang’s stainless steel exhaust manifolds. Cast iron is strong but heavy, stainless steel is less strong but substantially lighter. This makes the F-150 Coyote more durable, but less fast than the Mustang. The stainless steel exhaust manifold is also more resistant to weathering and rust.

The stainless steel exhaust manifold is an important feature for the Mustang. When you’re in a pony car, you tend to ride lower to the ground, and that means more rain, road salt, and every other grimy thing that you encounter.

Four different Coyote intake manifolds in a row
These intake manifolds all came out of Coyotes and they’re all very different.

The camshafts between the two are also different. The Mustang has long-duration intake cams while the F-150’s are substantially shorter. The earlier the intake closes the greater the cranking pressure, which is necessary for low-end torque.

Exhaust manifolds and camshafts can be easily changed, so neither of these should be deal-breakers, and if you were already planning on changing from your stock exhaust manifold to a set of long tube or shorty headers, then buying an F-150 Coyote will save you some money.

The F-150 Coyote also has a front-mounted oil cooler, less robust oil pump gears, and no windage tray. The timing cover is less ribbed, and the alternator location is different as well. This is all to say that if you’re planning on doing other substantial performance enhancements, like a supercharger installation, you will want to be very aware of this and evaluate the differences between the superchargers available for the F-150 Coyote as well as for the Mustang Coyote. Superchargers, in particular, have very specific requirements for where things are located and how much space they require.

This means that Coyote swaps with F-150-sourced Coyotes may require more fabrication as well since they aren’t designed for the Mustang’s engine compartment specifically.
 
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Sorry for being late with response but Gerry did a great job.

Same displacement, internals, compression ratio and basic 32 valve heads. Except they have port work done on the Mustang.
Different cams, intakes and peripherals such as exhaust manifold vs. headers, oil pans, timing cover, oil pump and alternator.
Of course different tunes for different uses.

The same but not the same.

I notice a discrepancy in the chart above in Gerry’s post.
The Mustang numbers are off. They are reporting gen. 2 numbers as current engine numbers.
Gen. 3 Mustang numbers are 460 hp and 410 trq.

The numbers for the F150 are good, however, the 400 torque is now reported as being achieved at 4500 rmp, not 3850. I think those also are gen. 2 numbers.

The numbers that set the Coyote and 3.5 ecoboost apart in truck duties are the torque numbers.

Whereas the coyote makes 400 peak lbs/ft at 4500 rpm, the ecoboost makes 470 peak lbs/ft at 3500 rmp, but the best part of the ecoboost is that 90% of that torque is available starting as low as 1800 rpm.
Big difference if you’re latched on to a trailer.
 
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